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The Flash, the fastest man alive, is a fictional DC Comics comic book superhero. He can run so fast that he often moves faster than the eye can see. He can run up walls, over water, and even control the speed of his own molecules so that he can vibrate through solid objects. There have been several men who have taken up the Flash mantle over the years, all of whom received their super-speed through some weird scientific accident.
The Golden Age Flash
The original Flash was Jay Garrick, who was very popular in the 1940s, known as The Golden Age of Comics. Jay Garrick began as a student at Midwestern University on a track to becoming a research scientist. He gained his speed powers when, while working in a lab, he inhaled the fumes from an experimental liquid called "hard water" mixed with random lab chemicals. Jay's Flash wore a winged helmit like the greek god Mercury, and was never recognized in his "secret identity" despite never wearing a mask. This was explained in later years by saying that he moved to fast as Flash to be seen clearly, and would vibrate parts of his face to obscure it when under close examination. His base of operations was Keystone City, where he became Director of Keystone Research Laboratories, Inc. He is credited with inspiring Barry Allen
with coming up with his own Flash identity. He was a member of the original Nazi-fighting super hero group, the Justice Society of America, and is still active today as a supporting character in Flash comics and as an elder statesman in the current incarnation of the Justice Society.
Jay Garrick, The Golden Age Flash
Enemies: The Shade, The Fiddler, The Icicle, Vandal Savage, The Thinker
The Silver Age Flash
In 1956, when DC Comics decided to revive, recreate, and modernize their old 1940s heroes, the Flash was the first one up. This new creation is considered the signal event of what would become known as the Silver Age of Comics. The new Flash was Barry Allen, police scientist, who survived a lab accident where a bolt of lightning struck some chemicals which spilled over
him, somehow giving him the power of "super-speed". This was the first Flash to wear the one piece red uniform with yellow boots, which included a mask and a yellow lightning insignia on his chest. This Flash became a founding member of the
Barry Allen, The Silver Age Flash
Justice League of America, and was a staple of the DC Universe until 1984, when he retired to the 30th century with his wife Iris West Allen.
In 1985, Barry was killed during the big super-hero event of the time, called the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
It was the Barry Allen character who was featured in the short lived live-action Flash TV series in the late 1980s.
Arch nemesis: Professor Zoom
Other recurring enemies: Gorilla Grodd, The Turtle, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, The Top, Abra Kadabra, The Golden Glider, The Rainbow Raider, The Weather Wizard, The Trickster, The Mirror Master, and The Pied Piper. Collectively, these villains became known as the Flash's Rogues Gallery, or Rogues for short.
The Modern Age Flash
The next Flash was Wally West, Barry Allen's nephew through marriage, who received his speed powers in an amazingly similar accident. He began as Kid Flash, a sort of sidekick to Barry's Flash and founding member (along with
Wally West, The Modern Age Flash
Robin, Aqualad, and Wonder Girl) of the Teen Titans. After Barry's death, Wally took over Barry's red costume and the name, as well as his place in the Justice League. It is this incarnation which is featured in the Justice League animated series. Wally putting on the Flash costume was one of the signal events that The Modern Age of Comics was beginning. Wally has a great run as the Flash. He marries Linda Park and they have twins.
In Infinite Crisis #4, Wally West, his wife, Linda Park, and the new Kid Flash (Bart Allen) and their two children, disappear into the speed force. Only Bart returns, now aged a bit so that he is physically a young adult.
Enemies: Zoom, Magenta, Cobalt Blue, Savitar, Plunder, The Rogues Gallery Villains.
Bart Allen as Flash
With Wally gone, Bart Allen took over the Flash identity.
While living in the 30th century, Iris and Barry have twins. The boy, Don Allen, would marry Meloni Thawne, the descendent of Zoom, one of the Flash's greatest enemies. Meloni would give birth to Barry's grandson, Bart Allen. Bart was Barry Allen's grandson, and was born with a metabolism so fast that he had to be raised
in a sort of virtual reality, resulting in his having little regard for consequences. It was Meloni's father, President Thawne, that forced bart to flee to the 21st century. There, his impulsive nature suggested the superhero name, Impulse. President Thawne still hated the Allens, as all Thawne's did (except for Meloni) since the 21st century. He got his revenge by creating an evil clone of Bart, Thaddeus Thawne, who becomes the super-villain Inertia. Inertia's goal is to replace Bart Allen, and become the fastest man alive.
Impulse starred in his own comic as a sort of teen-aged spin off to the Flash character. After the Impulse series came to its conclusion, Bart took on the "Kid Flash" identity in Teen Titans. When Wally disappeared into the Speed Force in Infinite Crisis #4, Bart took over the Flash name and red costume, and was the featured character in the Flash comic that restarted in 2005.
In Flash #13 (2007), Inertia cons the Flash Rogues Gallery Villains into helping him steal the Speed Force from Bart. Using 30th century technology, the Speed Force is stored in a device that the Rogues believed would be used to stop time. The next step is for Inertia to release the Speed Force and to absorb it into his own body. An unfortunate side effect of this will be the release a force that is equal to the explosion of ten atomic bombs, killing tens of thousands of people.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.
Bart is successful at preventing this, but not before the the Speed Force is removed from his body. Powerless, Bart crawls towards the device. The Rogues are afraid that if they don't stop him he'll regain his power and they'll all go to prison. They hit him with all their weapons at once, killing him. So, Bart is killed in action, saving the lives of about a hundred thousand people.
Arch nemesis: Inertia
Other recurring enemies: White Lightning, Griffin
A Flash cover from the Bronze Age
The Return of the Modern Age Flash
In Justice League of America #10 (2007), the Legion of Super-Heroes risk their own lives to bring back the Flash from the Speed Force. Coming from the future, they seem to know of an upcoming event for which a Flash has to be present. The Legionnaires attempt to use a method that they once used to revive Lightning Lad way back in Adventure Comics #312 (1963) that was found on 30th century Daxam. The method involves connecting a wire to a special lightning rod that will transfer the life force from a living being to a deceased one when hit by lightning. The problem is, it requires the person holding the rod to die, sacrificing their life to bring the dead person back. Back then, the Legionnaires couldn't decide who would make the sacrifice (they all wanted to do it) so they each stood out in a lightning storm with a different rod, all connected to Lightning Lad's lifeless corpse, leaving it to chance whom the lightning would strike. (For a view of this classic scene, see the Lightning Lad article.) Now they were going to use a similar method to bring back the Flash, this time having each Legionnaire stand with one of those special lightning rods in a place where the Flash has had a direct connection with the speed force. When the lightning strikes, one Legionnaire will die, but Flash will be returned to our universe.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.
Understanding that the plan is for one of the Legionnaires to exchange his or her life for the Flash's, suicide being repugnant to them, The Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America try to stop them. They fail, outwitted by Brainiac 5's superior science and intellect. Everyone expects the Flash brought back to be Barry Allen, but instead it is Wally, Linda, and the twins, the kids now aged a bit as Bart was when he returned. Karate Kid, who turned out to be the one whose life was to be sacrificed, escaped death (probably using some 31st century martial arts technique) in some way not adequately explained. When asked why he was still alive, he explains simply that "I ducked". Wally and his family are apparently fine, and Wally rejoins the Justice League.
It looks like the Wally West Flash is back.
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